Finding good paytables on video poker variants is challenging. Most of the best video poker machines are traditional ones with one hand. Variants offer twists that include multipliers and three, five, 10, 25, 50, and 100 hands. Most offer lower paytables than traditional games. However, that is not always the case.
Traditional Multi-Hand Video Poker
The most common video poker variant is traditional multi-hand. Most casinos have Triple Play, Five Play, and Ten Play. Some have 25, 50, and 100 Play. These games return the same as single-line machines with the same paytable. It is simple to compare the return. If a single-line game and a multi-hand game both have 8/5 Bonus Poker, they are essentially the same. The multi-hand game is less volatile, and since it requires five coins on all hands, it likely has lower denominations.
For example, nickel and dime single-line video poker is nearly extinct. However, multi-hand nickel and dime denominations are plentiful.
How Multi-Hand Video Poker Works
A hand of multi-hand video poker starts with the player making the wager. Clicking the max bet will wager five coins on all lines. Players who want to bet fewer coins per hand must click the bet one until all hands show the preferred wager on older machines. Make sure not to click it more times than needed, as the machine will probably not allow it to be decreased.
On newer machines, there may be two settings to pick the number of hands and the amount per line without the need to keep clicking bet one. Remember that betting five coins per line gets the full payout on a royal flush.
Once the wager is set, click deal to receive cards if they were not dealt automatically by hitting the max bet. Touch the screen or the corresponding buttons to hold cards. You will see the same cards held across all hands. If you are playing Ten Play and get dealt a royal flush, you will have 10 royal flushes. Once you set the cards you want to hold, click the deal-draw button. The machine will replace the discards with fresh ones. Each draw is a reshuffle, meaning it is possible to get the same card on multiple hands. However, a discard will not return.
Once the replacement cards are out, the machine pays based on the strength according to the pay table. To play a new hand with the same bet amount, push the deal-draw button. To change the bet, follow the procedure described above. When you want to leave, click the cash out button. Most machines will print a ticket. A few old multi hand machines will drop coins, like ones at Johnny Nolon’s in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
Playing Five Coins Instead of More for the Bonus Feature
If you find a variant’s game requires additional coins to trigger the bonus feature, but the paytable is better on it than the traditional versions of the game, you can simply bet five coins on each line and skip the bonus. This is most common on Hot Roll. However, some other games may offer a better paytable than traditional versions, like Spin Poker.
Types of Multi-Hand Video Poker
In addition to 3. 5. 10, 25, 50, and 100-hand games, there are variants based on those. Here are some examples. These are mostly available in 3, 5, and 10-hand versions. Some have a single-line form.
Paytables between these types of games and single-line games offer the same returns. For example, 9/6 Double Double Bonus returns 98.98% with perfect play and five coins wagered, whether one hand is played or 100.
Ultimate X
Ultimate X is one of the most popular video poker variants. Players earn multipliers on the next hand based on the previous hand’s winners. For example, in Ten Play, if the player only makes winners on the fourth, sixth, seventh, and tenth spots, those places will have multipliers on the next spot, while the others will not. Ultimate X Bonus Streak plays similarly, except players earn a streak on multipliers by making top hands, usually a straight or better.
These paytables are tough to analyze by looking at them. Most add 1% to 1.5% to the return of the same paytable on a traditional game. The multipliers are funded by a five-coin bet per hand on top of the normal one.
Dream Card
Dream Card is another video poker variant that usually comes in a multi-hand version. Players bet ten coins per line. Five coins fund the bonus feature. Dream Card is among the easiest paytables to read. The return is slightly higher than a standard game without the bonus feature. Each game’s help screen shows how often the Dream Card feature is triggered.
Hot Roll
Hot Roll paytables return exactly the same as a standard video poker game. Two dice roll every six hands on average. The multiplier is equal to the roll and applies to all hands. This Bonus portion returns exactly 100%, meaning the true payback is equal to the paytable in a standard game. Hot Roll just has more variance.
Hot Roll often has better paytables than multi-hand games. If you do not want the added variance of the multipliers, bet five coins per line if you find a better paytable on Hot Roll.
Super Times Pay
Super Times Pay and related games like Double Super Times Pay work much like Hot Roll. Instead of dice, a random meter appears once every 15 spins on average. The bonus feature activates with just one coin per line. To determine the return, Wizard of Odds says to multiply the return of the standard paytable by 1.00278. This generally adds 0.2% to 0.3% to the return.
Spin Poker
Spin Poker combines video poker with a reel slot machine. Players bet nine lines. Five cards are dealt. The player chooses which one to hold. After that, cards are placed across three rows with nine paylines. Spin Poker paytable returns match traditional ones.
Wheel Poker
Wheel Poker requires one additional coin to activate the bonus feature. It pays when a player makes a natural four of a kind. A Wheel spins with point multipliers on quads. Some wheels have minor and major jackpots.
